FUR DRESSING 
AND DYEING 



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FUR DRESSING 
AND DYEING 



By 

B. R. ARMOUR 

President of 

American Aniline Products, Inc. 

New York. N. Y. 



1919 

AMERICAN ANILINE PRODUCTS, Inc. 

80 Fifth Avenue 
New York 



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Copyright, 1919 
American Aniline Products, Inc. 




©aA515544 

m 20 1919 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 

TO determine the proper method of dressing 
and dyeing a skin, the dyer should know how 
long it has been off the animal's back and where 
such animal lived. For he must vary his formula 
according to the type and condition of the skin. 
Furs that are greasy require treatment with soda 
which will place them in condition to take the 
dye readily. Those that are dry must be fat- 
liquored so that they will be soft and pliable after 
dyeing. 

The process preliminary to the actual dyeing is 
called 

FUR DRESSING 

Opossum, raccoon and skunk are very greasy 
pelts. Therefore, the grease is first scraped from 
the flesh side; then they are drummed for several 
hours in damp saw-dust; next put in a mixture 
of damp saw-dust and salt over night. Next day 
the skins are moved to the fleshing room and the 
excess flesh is scraped off. Now they are pickled 
in a bath of sulphuric acid and salt so the skin 
will be converted into soft, pliable leather. At 
the same time, this pickling bath plumps (or fills 
out) the leather and care must be taken that the 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 



leather is not made too thick, for, if too plump, 
the leather will not be adapted to the scissors 
and the needle of the garment maker. 

The skins are then dried and again drummed in 
damp saw-dust. As all the natural grease has been 
removed from the skins, it is necessary to replace 
the natural with artificial grease in order to make 
it soft and pliable. Therefore, they are next put 
in a tramping machine containing grease, and 
such grease is tramped or pounded into the leather. 
The skins are then drummed again several times 
in damp saw-dust to remove all grease from the hair. 

As minks, wild-cat, Australian opossum, marmet 
and wallaby are not as greasy as opossum, raccoon 
or skunk, it is unnecessary to scrape the grease 
from the pelts. Otherwise, the dressing is the same. 

Rabbits are first soaked in water two or three 
days, then fleshed, then pickled in a mixture of 
alum and salt and are then ready for the dyeing 
operation. 

FUR DYEING 

It is here that the fur and the dyer establish 
their point of contact. The colors used for fur 
dyeing are not colors in the accepted sense — but 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 



oxidation colors. That is, they are products 
which develop on the fibre when treated in con- 
junction with such oxidizing agents as ferric 
chloride, permanganate of potash, bichromates, 
peroxide of hydrogen or any metallic salts. They 
permit of the dyeing of furs in a cold or lukewarm 
bath to yield fast brown or black shades ranging 
from the lightest tan to the deepest blue black. 
Should by any chance the temperature of the 
dye-bath be increased over 100° F. the hair will 
be singed and the leather burnt and the entire 
fibre of the skin destroyed. Of late, however, 
the more technical dyers have been able to over- 
come the singeing of the hair by brushing with a 
solution of glycerine. The hair, however, will 
return to its singed state in a few months. K 
the leather is not too far gone, a brushing with 
egg yoke, sulphonated cod oil and glycerine will 
overcome the brittleness to a slight degree. The 
tensile strength of the leather, however, is 
practically lost. 

The products used in the following recipes are 
known as : 

Fur Brown P, yielding an intense reddish brown. 
Fur Brown 2 G, yielding a yellowish brown. 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 



Fur Black, yielding a dead black. 

Fur Blue X, yielding a blue black. 

Fur Black D B, yielding a blue black with an 

intense blue tone. 
Fur Black D D, yielding a very deep blue. 
Fur Grey B, yielding a slightly bluish grey. 

It is impossible to give general recipes suited 
exactly for every kind of fur, for, as before men- 
tioned, the properties vary according to the 
quality of the skins. 

For instance, a recipe worked out to produce 
satisfactory results with foxes would produce 
most unsatisfactory results with rabbits. There- 
fore, the proportions can be determined only by 
trial. However, you will note peroxide of hydrogen 
is used in the following formulas, and a very good 
basis for the application of hydrogen peroxide 
in proportion to color has been found to be 10 to 1. 
When in doubt use this ratio, for it can be varied 
when necessary. Also note that without excep- 
tion the dyestuff must be thoroughly dissolved 
before adding the hydrogen peroxide, and unless 
otherwise specified, the proportions given are 
based on a two-gallon dye bath. 

All skins are mordanted before dyeing with such 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 



products as bichromate of potash, bluestone, 
copperas, verdigris, caustic soda, potassium chlor- 
ate, etc., and as usual, the methods vary according 
to the type and quality of the skin. Certain 
easily dyed skins are dyed without this mordant, 
but there is an element of risk that the color will 
not be very level or even. 

TAN AND BROWN SHADES 

When making tans or browns, it is advisable to 
mordant the skins before dyeing with ^ ounce 
to 1^ ounces of the bichromate of potash and 
^ ounce to \yi ounces of cream of tartar accord- 
ing to the depth of shade required. The skins 
are immersed in this bath at about 75 F. and kept 
there for about twelve hours, or better still, over 
night. After mordanting rinse lightly or whizz. 
The skins are now ready to be entered into the 
actual dye-bath. 

A solution of: 

y^ ounce Fur Brown P 
1 gill hydrogen peroxide 
y^ tumbler ammonia 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 



produces a light reddish brown, after the skins 
remain in the bath about six hours. 

1 ounce Fur Brown 
}^ ounce Fur Black 
^ ounce pyrogallic acid 

1 pint hydrogen peroxide 
}i tumbler ammonia 

produces medium to dark brown shades, according 
to the length of time the skins remain in the dye- 
bath. After three hours a beautiful medium 
brown is obtained, while the shade gradually 
becomes darker until at the end of twelve hours 
you have a full, rich, dark brown. After dyeing, the 
skins are rinsed for several hours in running water. 

Pyrogallic acid produces a rich yellowish shade, 
but is only used for toning purposes. 

It should be noted that in such combinations 
as the last, that since Fur Brown produces an 
intense reddish brown, pyrogallic acid is added to 
throw the brown on to the yellow side, and the 
Fur Black is used to darken the shade. 

Of course, these combinations given above can 
be changed to produce most any shade of tan or 
brown. 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 



BLACKS 

Fur Black is best employed by mordanting with 
bichromate of potash and cream of tartar in the 
same proportions as used for the tans and browns 
and then dyeing in a bath of: 

}i oz. to 1>^ ozs. Fur Black 
1 gill to 1 pint hydrogen peroxide 

for about twelve hours at 75° to 80° F., rinsed, etc. 
Fur Blue X without a previous mordant dyes 
angora a deep blue black with an admixture of 
black in the following proportion: 

^ ounce Fur Blue X 

^2 ounce Fur Black 

1 pint hydrogen peroxide. 

The dyeing operation is the same as for Fur Black. 

For this class of dyeing (angora) the recipes 
mentioned for Fur Black and Fur Brown may also 
be recommended; though, of course, solutions 
must be varied according to shade requirements. 

Furs such as marmet or opossum, for example, 
are best killed before dyeing either with lime or a 
soda solution. They may then be rinsed and mor- 
danted with a solution of ^ to 1}^ ounces of 



10 FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 

copperas and }{ ounce cream of tartar and then 
dyed as above. While such skins can be dyed 
without a mordant, such a mordant as that given 
above greatly improves the finished material. 

Fur Black D B and Fur Black D D are employed 
only when particularly blue shades of black are 
desired. For these brands, however, as in the case 
of Fur Blue X, it is essential that the skins be 
mordanted or killed before dyeing. 

Full shades of black of a bluish cast will be 
obtained by adding >^ to ^ ounce of Fur Black D B 
or Fur Black D D or Fur Blue X and 1 gill to 
1 pint of hydrogen peroxide to the regular Fur 
Black formula. 

GREY 

For the dyeing of silver grey or any of the bluer 
shades of this extremely delicate color, a mor- 
danting is first necessary with Bluestone, or in 
conjunction with copperas or with verdigris. 
The skins are then rinsed or whizzed and the 
following dye-bath prepared: 

1 ounce or 2 ounces Fur Grey B (depending 
upon depth of shade desired) 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 11 

1 pint to 2 pints hydrogen peroxide 

3<4 tumbler ammonia. 
The skins remain in this bath for at least 3 or 4 
hours longer, if necessary, depending upon the 
nature of the skins. 

For the dyeing of taupes, or the redder shades 
of grey the same process is followed as above with 
the addition to the dye-bath before immersing 
skins ]4 ounce Fur Brown 2 G, or the same formula 
as for silver greys except the mordant in this case 
would be }4 ounce bichromate of potash and ^2 
ounce cream of tartar and then finished as for the 
grey shades. For extremely red shades of taupe, 
simply an addition of Fur Brown P is necessary 
to the dye-bath. 

TIPPING 

Certain hairs of furs will not take fur dyes in a 
bath. These must be tipped. For tipping a 
black shade. Fur Black only is suitable. It 
is used in the proportion of % ounce Fur Black 
to 1 pint of water and 1 pint hydrogen peroxide; 
the latter being added directly before using. 

To produce brown shades by tipping. Fur Brown 



12 FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 

is used in combinations. With solutions of 1>^ 
ounces to 5 ounces per gallon a single tipping will 
produce an intense brown of a depth which formerly 
was obtainable only by a long tedious process. 
After tipping, the skins are placed in pairs, hair 
side inward and allowed to remain that way for 
several hours, after which they are put in a cool 
place to dry. 

KILLING BATHS 

A good soda bath for killing is made up by dis- 
solving 2 pounds of sal soda in about 1^}4 gallons 
(100 pounds) of water. The skins are washed in 
this cold for one to two hours. A good soap bath 
is obtained by dissolving 1 pound of soap in 12^ 
gallons (100 pounds) of water and adding 1 pound 
of ammonia. The skins are washed in this for 
one to two hours and afterwards rinsed in cold 
water. 

For a lime bath dissolve 15 pounds of powdered 
sal ammoniac and 4^ pounds of sulphate of 
alumina to 50 gallons of hot or boiling water. To 
this add a solution of milk of lime which is made 
by adding 50 pounds of quick lime to 100 gallons 
of water. The milk of lime may be kept in a 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 13 

well-stoppered earthenware vessel, but should be 
stirred before using. 

To treat furs with this lime bath the hair side 
is painted with a brush, and the operation is 
repeated twice or as often as is necessary to remove 
the grease in the hair. The skin should then be 
dried in a shady place as direct sunlight and too 
intense heat rob the hair of its elasticity and 
make the leather hard. The chalk dust remaining 
after the skins are dried is removed by beating 
and brushing. 

AFTER TREATMENT 

Dyed furs possess the disagreeable property of 
staining lighter materials with which they come 
in contact. This may be remedied by the fol- 
lowing inexpensive process, which will make the 
colors absolutely fast. 

The skins that have been dyed by steeping 
should be treated in a fresh bath to which has been 
added 1/60 ounce to 1/20 ounce of bluestone per 
gallon for light shades, or 1/12 ounce bluestone 
for dark shades. After a bath of six to eight hours 
the skins are then rinsed and dried. For skins that 



14 FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 

have been tipped use a 5 to 10 per cent, solution of 
bluestone, varying the strength according to the 
depth of the shade. This is applied with a brush 
after which the skins are dried and tumbled in 
sand or saw-dust. If the application is correctly 
carried out and care is taken to vary the strength 
of the solutions according to the depth of the 
shade treated the tone of the dyeings will not be 
affected. The use of too strong solutions in tip- 
ping will change the shade entirely. 

THE FUR DYEING INDUSTRY 

The rapid development in the production of 
fur colors in this country is one of the achievements 
due to the war. Before the war no fur colors 
were produced in America, for the simple reason 
that the selling price was lower than the possible 
minimum cost of manufacture. Germany sold 
to this country her surplus of such intermediates 
at or below cost. It is probable that she will 
resume this practice after the war. In that case 
American manufacturers will be obliged to drop 
the making of fur dyes. The ad valorem duty 
of 15 per cent, and the special duty of 2>^ cents a 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 15 

pound imposed by the Tariff Law on this class of inter- 
mediates will not afford any effective protection. 

It is argued by competent people that, in order to 
possess a thoroughly self-contained industry, not 
dependent in any essential upon foreign supply, 
this country must produce all the materials that 
go to the making of her finished articles. There is 
no questioning the desirability of such a condition. 
But it must remain impracticable as long as 
American producers in any line are not secured 
against a species of foreign competition which it is 
impossible for them to meet. 

In August, 1914, there were no fur colors made 
in America. In October of that year we put up 
our plant, and in December we began to manu- 
facture. We have succeeded in duplicating practi- 
cally all the German fur dyes without substituting; 
and today the demand for American fur dyes is 
being satisfactorily supplied. Created to meet an 
emergency, this particular feature of the American 
dyestuff industry will assuredly disappear when 
the emergency ends unless proper protection is 
accorded this branch of the industry. The question 
remains whether in the best interests of the industry 
it is well to allow it to disappear. 



16 FUR DRESSING AND DYEING 

In England we have reports to the effect that 
the AniUne color manufacturers will receive the 
protection of an absolute embargo on all German 
made colors for a number of years after peace 
has been declared. Whether that will prove 
effective it is impossible to prophesy at the present 
time. This clearly shows, however, that the 
British Government is alive to the critical position 
in which the dyestuff manufacturers would be 
placed should such destructive German com- 
petition be permitted as existed prior to the war. 
This country, no doubt, will realize the importance 
of such a key industry as the Aniline color manu- 
facture represents and adopt such equitable 
measures as will be found necessary. 



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